Small spaces, big ideas

SOLID walls and fences are the most usual and often the most practical method of enclosing a small garden. They take up the least amount of precious space and are quick and simple to install. But plants are my passion, and I believe that small gardens, just as their larger counterparts, are greatly enhanced by a beautiful hedge.

Hedges have much to recommend them. They are not all as slow-growing as is often thought, and are relatively low maintenance. They can be clipped formally, fitting in with either traditional or modern styles, or allowed to develop a natural shape.

Choosing a hedge is a long-term decision, and needs plenty of thought. Your choice of hedging plant should be influenced by the amount of space you have, and whether you need to screen an intrusive view, filter noise and pollution, or create a windbreak; or you may simply want an attractive backdrop. Either way, one of the first things to consider is whether to choose all evergreen or deciduous hedge.

See as much as possible before heading for the nursery or garden centre. It's worth taking the time, a year if necessary, to look at all the possible choices in every season before you make your final selection.

Making the right choice

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How to plant a hedgeStep 1 Take the time to prepare the ground. Remove or kill all perennial weeds before planting, then double-dig the whole area, incorporating plenty of well-rotted manure into the bottom of each trench.Step 2 Position the plants in a single row 16-24in apart, using string to ensure a straight line. For a wide, dense hedge, stagger them diagonally across two rows, keeping the plants in each row spaced about 3ft apart.Step 3 Dig a generous hole for each plant. Fork some compost and a slow-release fertiliser such as fish blood and bone into the bottom of the hole and the soil that will be used to backfill around the roots.Step 4 Place the plants in the holes, checking that the top of the surrounding soil is at the same level as the top of the root-ball, and backfill around each plant. Firm well with your boot as you go, ensuring good contact between the roots and the soil.Step 5 Water in really well and mulch around each plant to conserve moisture and discourage weeds. Continue to check that the plants don't dry out, through their first growing season at least.Step 6 Carry out any formative pruning, checking the individual requirements of the plant in a good reference book. The long-term success of the hedge may depend on how well it is shaped in the early years.

Evergreen

Privet has its place, but I'm just a little bored with it, and there are much more rewarding alternatives. A yew (Taxus baccata) hedge is the classic choice and its longevity makes planting one an investment in the future. When mature, yew is an aristocrat among hedges, and it makes the most fantastic deep green background, setting off other plants a treat. Trim it in late summer or early autumn to keep the growth dense and bushy.

A tall row of Prunus laurocerasus 'Rotundifolia', the cherry laurel, provides a dense, glossy-leaved boundary between my own front garden and the road. At more than 6ft high, it does a tremendous job of cutting down traffic noise. P. lusitanica, the Portuguese laurel, is another favourite, with handsome green foliage on red leaf stalks.

Hollies come in a huge range of forms. I like Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata'. The leaves are a deep glossy green, with cream edges.

Bamboo would be an unusual alternative to evergreen hedging, forming a light and airy screen that rustles in the breeze. Avoid the more invasive forms if you don't want the screen to take over the entire garden.

Deciduous

The common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is perfectly happy in heavy clay soil, and makes a wonderful alternative to the traditional beech (Fagus sylvatica), which prefers good drainage. They both hold on well to their crispy autumn foliage, which rustles in the wind throughout the winter.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) can either be clipped to shape, or allowed to grow unrestricted. It bears fragrant white flowers, followed by crimson berries. For a low-growing hedge, Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana' is hard to beat, with brilliant red and purple leaf tints in the autumn.

Currently all the rage, living willow barriers create a fence with a difference. Salix stems will quickly root and break into leaf when simply stuck into the ground. They can be woven to create a range of effects, and the resulting living barrier is extremely attractive and doesn't take up too much space.

Flowers and berries

Foliage is not the only factor to consider. Many flowering and berrying plants make excellent hedges. The evergreen Berberis x stenophylla has arching branches covered in clusters of deep yellow flowers in late spring, followed by bluish-black fruits. This makes a tough, informal hedge, which may be too unruly for a tiny garden.

Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price' is another well-known evergreen, commonly grown as a shrub, but it makes a well-behaved hedge up to 10ft high, smothered in white flowers, pink in bud, in late spring. Rosa rugosa would look lovely in the country. It has attractive, ridged leaves, large single pinky-red flowers and swollen scarlet hips in the autumn. If you want a prickly, burglar-deterring hedge, this is the one for you.

Also good out of town, particularly where the garden overlooks open country or farmland, is a mixed or tapestry hedge. This creates an exceptionally informal boundary, giving a hedgerow effect, and attracting lots of wildlife. Choose species that grow at a similar rate to avoid any problems of domination by one more vigorous plant, and resist the temptation to allow the hedge growth - it will quickly become out of control.

Topiary

Topiary hedges are very much a matter of personal taste, with some aficionados becoming obsessive about clipping. I am fond of simple forms, and was taken by the hedge of natural boulder shapes reminiscent of rolling hills that surrounded the Piet Oudolf/Arne Maynard garden at Chelsea this year. Something similar would be excellent for the small rural garden.

Pleaching

If you need a tall hedge to screen an ugly view, consider a row of pleached trees. The young branches are trained horizontally to form hedges on stilts, which make strong architectural features. I've seen them work well in formal gardens, hold together loosely planted, blowsy gardens, and give real scale and presence to a modern, minimalist space.

This type of pruning has the added benefit for the small garden of restricting the root growth of the tree, which tends to shrivel naturally in response to the reduced size of the crown. Unfortunately, unless you can afford to buy in your pleached hedge ready-made, it takes a lot of work and several years to start to see the effect. Beech, hornbeam and lime (Tilia platyphyllos and T. x euchlora) make excellent pleached trees.

Gardens to visit

The RHS Garden at Wisley (01483 224234) has a well-displayed section of hedging plants, which includes all the usual suspects as well as ideas for flowering, fruiting and informal hedges, both large and small. You can make direct comparisons between the plants, which makes selecting the right one much easier.

The trials area at Capel Manor includes a clearly laid-out selection of plants for hedging. The rows are trimmed at one end and allowed to grow naturally at the other, a fascinating demonstration of how human intervention can completely alter the effect of a plant. The gardens, at Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield (020 8366 4442) are open Mon-Fri, 10am to dusk (weekend opening resumes in March).